Improvement in propelling canal-boats



H. I. CHAPMAN.

PROPELLING CANAL BOATS.

Patented. June 2'7, 1876.

IN- PETERS, PHOTO-LITHD 'WAISHINGTON D C HUSTON I. CHAPMAN, oFPonrLANu'oREcoN, ASSIGNOR or ONE HALF HIS RIGHT TO GEORGE H. CASE AND J.E. ROTH, OF FAIRFIELD', IOVA.

IMPROVEMENT IN PROPELLING CANAL-BOATS.

Specification forming part of Letters Patent No. 179,266, dated J une27, 1876; application filed June 9, 1876. 7

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, HUsToN I. CHAPMAN, of Portland, State of Oregon,have invented a new and useful Improvement in Propelling and SteeringOanaLBoats and other vessels, which improvements are fully set forth inthe following specification, reference being had to the accompanyingdrawings, in which Figure 1 is a perspective, and Fig. 2 is a sectional,View.

The object of my invention is to prevent the washing of the banks ofcanals and other waters by the erosion caused by vessels passing throughthe water at a greater speed than is now made by canaLboats.

The following is a specification of my antiwashing canal-boat, and modeof propelling and steering canalboats and other vessels propelled bysteam.

The canal-boat is built of the ordinary size, or may be larger orsmaller, with bows and stern one-half clipper. The bows are cut off at apoint where the horizontal line of the plane will be about four feet,into which is built a funnel, with the apex toward the stern of theboat, as shown in Fig. 1.

'By this construction of half-clipper bows and sterns, in connectionwith the funnel, all the water which may not be drawn in through thefunnel is allowed to pass easily outside and along the sides of theboat, thus tending to materially lessen the side swell of the water,which is so destructive to the banks of the canal.

To the funnel is attached the pipe B, connecting with the doublehorizontal rotary pump P, the wheels of which work toward each other, todraw the water through the bows and expel it at the stern. From therotary pump P the pipe 0 passes through the' stern of the boat at 0, andto the end of which is attached the cylindrical rudder It, by means ofwhich the vessel is steered. The pipes 13' er portion of the water sothrown aside from i the vessel is caused by that portion of the bows ofthe vessel extending from the stem to a point where the bows are abouttwo feet from the center line of the vessel, it follows, therefore, thatif this water is drawn through the vessel by means of the rotary pump P,and the funnel A and pipes B 0, there will be no wave thrown off fromthe bows, as the remain der ofthe water displaced will pass around thesides of the vessel without causing any wash upon the banks of thecanal, and the water drawn through the boat is discharged against thedensity of the water the same as a screw-propeller placed within abarrel or cylinder. Thus the vessel isforced ahead, both by the waterdischarged from the pipe 0 and the reaction of the water, and theresistance of the water to the passage of the boat is overcome.

Over the mouth of the funnel A is placed.

the open detachable fender or bows E, perforated with holes sufficientlylarge to freely admit the water, but small enough to prevent debris frompassing through the pipes into the pump, and forming a false bow, toafford an easy passage of the boat through the water. The lower or underside of the fender F is made tight, in order to prevent the water comingup from under the vessel into the funnel.

The fender F may be so constructed that the amount of water admitted tothe funnel A may be increased or lessened, for in a narrow canal orchannel the funnel should draw in all the water from the bows of theboat, while in a broad channel or canal a greater portion of the watermay be made to pass around the sides of the vessel.

A canal-boat properly constructed will make from nine to ten miles perhour without making any more wash than the ordinary canal-boat runningtwo miles per hour, while other vessels will make twenty-five to thirtymiles per hour.

I am aware that boats have heretofore been constructed with channels ofvarious forms passing through them, and provided with propellers, 850.,within them, to force the water through and lessen the wash of thecanalbanks, and this I do not claim, broadly; but I have found by actualexperiment that a boat I constructed according" to my plan fulfillsconditions necessary to a successful propulsion of canal-boats, andseems to obviate defects found in those in common use.

I claim as my invention 1. In a canal-boat, constructed substantially asdescribed, the combination of the fun- HUSTON I. CHAPMAN. Witnesses:

E. E. MASSON, E. G. WEAVER.

